Practice What you Teach: Getting to be the student

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My Pilates practice started off great this week with a private lesson with Cassie at Northwoods Pilates and Wellness in Ankeny.  Cassie is a PMA certified instructor who trained with me and now has her own studio in the Ankeny, Iowa.   Cassie is an amazing teacher and nothing could be better than getting to sneak in an entire session just devoted to my movement practice. I’ve taken many of lessons with Cassie over the years but it’s probably been almost a year since I’ve taken a private with her since she’s relocated so it was especially a treat!

As a teacher of teachers I always find it fun to take lessons from my students.   It’s fun to hear your own influence in their teaching but also to see how they have created their own style of teaching.

There were some moments during our session where I often just laughed inside because I found myself doing things I see my clients doing all the time or I found Cassie saying things that I would often say, or I was just reflecting on what it might be like to teach me! Here’s just a few that might make you laugh too.

  1. During the Hundreds I couldn’t help thinking,” Are we done yet? Isn’t that a hundred? I obviously am not doing this many during my daily Pilates practice!!”
  2. Sometimes I need help concentrating!  More than once I found myself not following Cassie’s directions!!  I would be one or two reps into an exercise and realize I was not doing what she was asking me to!  She was very sweet and would just gently remind me until I realized and got it.
  3. Tensing my shoulders!(yes teachers do it too!)  When Cassie was teaching me something new or I was paying attention to other details of an exercise she would have to remind me (often by a simple touch of the hand) or verbal cue to soften my shoulders or connect them!
  4. Since Cassie is 32 weeks pregnant she often said things like,” you get to do this exercise that my body is sooo craving to do!”.  I can totally relate to that place in pregnancy where you are missing being able to move like you are used to!!
  5. At least a couple of times I heard Cassie say, ” Let’s try this “fun” version of an exercise!”. {my favorite phrase when it comes to movement! I’m not sure where she get’s that from!}
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Finn stretching his spine!!

As always my session left me feeling refreshed and energized and wondering why I don’t make a commitment to get over to see her and take more lessons!! I also got to hang out with Cassie’s son Finn and watch him play in the Pilates studio!  I absolutely love to watch as kids naturally move and play and do things that us adults are trying to recreate in our movement practice!  The picture of Finn just laying down and stretching his spine over the Spine Corrector barrel is a great example! (and he totally did that without prompting from anyone!)

 

 

 

Pilates Posture in the bathroom????

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Do you ever think of your posture when you go the bathroom?  Me neither until recently!! I was super excited to get a new “posture device” this week called Lumo Lift.  The Lumo Lift is a small tracking device that can be worn on your bra strap or shirt that lets you know when you are slouching.  As a Pilates instructor I spend my days talking to clients about Pilates in their daily life and how just by being aware of their daily posture and movement habits they can change how their body feels. I even dedicated a whole month last year to educating people about how to incorporate Pilates at your Office!  So when I saw this new device designed to help you maintain your posture throughout your days…I had to have one!!   I’ve only had my Lumo Lift a few days but I have to say I love this thing already!!IMG_6095

The Lumo Lift can be set to have as much or as little delay as you want( from instant to a 2 minute delay).  I set mine at 5 seconds so that it pretty much tells me immediately when my posture is not ideal by vibrating.  The Lumo Lift of course is fabulous when I sit at my desk to do computer work but what I love the most about the Lumo Lift is that I am starting to think about my alignment and posture at times when I would never normally think about it…like in the bathroom!!  I had to just giggle the first time that happened!!

As a Pilates instructor I spend my days teaching…usually walking around clients, spotting them, giving them cues, etc.   I’ve been amazed at how often I was getting buzzed while I was teaching.  I found myself leaning over clients to give cues and even slouching or rounding my shoulders as I was talking through verbal cues to clients.  I feel like just in a few days my awareness of my body has increased and I’m easily training myself to keep moving and aligning my body in ways that help me create balance in my body.   I’m excited to have found such a great tool that I can use to incorporate my Pilates principles and ideas into my daily habits!!

Want to learn more about the Lumo Lift?  Check out their website here.  Want one of your own?  You can learn more about Lumo Lift and purchase a Lumo Lift by clicking below:
Buy LUMO Lift Body Sensor Now

 

 

 

 

Do you “have a Pilates Instructor”?

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I was with a friend the other day ago and a moment came up where she introduced me to another friend of hers.  Immediately she said ” This is my Pilates instructor Carey” and then she paused just slightly and added “and my friend”.  It made me smile inside as I could tell by her pause that she almost felt bad for introducing me first as “her Pilates instructor”.  When the truth is, I can think of nothing more complimenting than to introduce me as “your Pilates instructor”!!  If you are a Pilates instructor or a teacher of any kind I’m guessing you can relate.

You see as a teacher I’m very passionate about what I teach and consider it an amazing compliment if you consider me “your teacher”!  Because “having  a Pilates instructor” is very IMG_7081different than just going to the studio or gym to take a Pilates class and it’s completely different from just going to see an instructor for your Pilates sessions.  When you “have a Pilates instructor” it means:

1.  You have created a movement practice in your life and you have a teacher who is part of that practice wherever you are.  You probably hear your Pilates instructor’s voice in your head when you find your shoulders scrunching up by your ears and when you do something amazing with your body that you would have never dreamed you could do- you probably send your instructor a note knowing they will love to hear about it!!

2. It means you have a movement instructor that knows your body, your personality, and your health goals about as well as anybody and is truly dedicated to helping you use movement to enrich your life!

3. It means you will always have a teacher in your movement journey to guide you, answer questions and support you.  Even if you have moved away from your instructor or maybe don’t physically see them on a regular basis, “your Pilates instructor” will always be part of your life and part of your movement journey.  “Your Pilates instructor” will always be there to cheer you on in your health and movement journey!

To all my Pilates students who refer to me as “your Pilates instructor” know that I’m honored to be a part of your movement journey and your life!!

 

[tweetthis]”Having a Pilates instructor” is sooo different than just going to Pilates class! [/tweetthis]

 

Practice What You Teach: Pilates in the Chaos!!

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My favorite Pilates workout this week happened in complete chaos!  In our basement living room area my husband was running on the treadmill, my daughter was playing with her American Girl doll horses and my boys were kind of sitting on the couch and their favorite gaming chair.  And by kind of sitting I mean when Big Bang was on they paused where they were and watched and then when a commercial came on they grabbed their Nerf guns and tried to pelt each other.  And the dog was running around “herding” the kids (she’s a Collie), carrying around one of my foam rollers in her mouth, and licking me whenever she could!IMG_6175

I don’t watch a ton of television but I do have a few shows I like to watch and Big Bang is one we often watch as a family so I try not to miss it! Since I hadn’t snuck in any dedicated movement time for myself that day I decided I would multi task and get some mat work in while I watched!  I know what you are thinking……”How can you possibly get any good mindbody exercise in among all that chaos?”

While it’s true that my Pilates mat workout was not taking place in a serene environment where I could wholly focus on me, my body and my breath…. I found that having a little bit(OK a lot) of chaos almost made me fine tune my concentration and focus skills even more than usual and I got a great workout!  As a bonus my kiddos often tried exercises with me or made up their own version of an exercise and I got lots of dog kisses!

Workouts in the chaos make me really appreciate my Pilates practice!  I love that I can essentially be anywhere and be able to do a safe, super effective workout that keeps me healthy and strong.  I love that I can fit my workouts into my life whenever and wherever I need!

Pilates for your heart!!

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As you may know February marks American Heart Month, a month dedicated to bringing awareness to heart health and what you can do to keep your heart healthy and strong.  Did you know heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States? Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease.  Did you know that Pilates can play a big part in your life to helping you keep your heart healthy and happy?

It turns out some of the most common causes of heart disease include:  lack of exercise, being overweight, high blood pressure and stress. All things that a regular Pilates practice can help you with!

Long before heart disease was a common household term Joseph Pilates was talking about the benefits of his method of exercise (which he called contrology) in terms of heart and whole body health.  In his book Return to Life, Joseph Pilates states,”Contrology exercises purify the blood in the bloodstream and whip it into instant action with the result that the organs of the body receive the benefit of clean fresh blood carried to them by the rejuvenated bloodstream.”   He also stated,” you should be exercising every muscle in your body in order to improve the circulation of the blood so that the bloodstream can and will carry more and better blood to feed every fiber and tissue of your body. These exercises induce the heart to pump strong and steady.”

So how can the Pilates method help you keep your heart healthy?IMG_6884

1.  Pilates can get you moving!  The Pilates method of exercise can be adapted to ANY body and can give you the tools you need to add more movement into your life!  Adding safe, efficient movement into your life can help you lose excess weight, get stronger, feel more energized and better condition your entire body.  Movement is a key component to creating a healthy body and a healthy heart!

2.  Improve circulation!  Joseph Pilates specifically designed his exercise method to increase blood circulation and improve whole body health.  By learning to breath properly and coordinate breath with whole body movements you will stimulate your body to work more efficiently inside and out!

3. De-stress ( and lower that blood pressure!)  Exercise is a natural de-stresser and a mindful movement practice like Pilates that combines breath and movement can be especially effective in helping you create a sense of calm in your life and your body!

Want to learn more about how Pilates can help your heart?  Schedule a complimentary Pilates session today!

 

I need to get into better shape before I start Pilates again…

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I’ve been teaching Pilates long enough that I have clients that have been seeing me for years which quite frankly I find pretty amazing!  I adore that clients have found a love for Pilates and incorporate it into their life and am super honored that they continue to choose me as their instructor throughout their journey.

Recently I had a client come back in after being away for awhile.  This is a client I knew quite well and who I knew had been battling some health complications over the years I’ve worked with her.  When she came back in we had a pretty honest talk about why she hadn’t been back in sooner and I really appreciated what she told me.

She mentioned that she kept telling herself that she needed to get in better condition before she came in.  She said she was embarrassed at how far out of shape she had gotten and quite honestly didn’t want to disappoint me.  I can tell you she’s not the only one who has thought something like this or told me this.

My heart kind of sank when she said these things. All I could think of is that just like I tell my kids, “I’ll love you, support you and will be there for you no matter what”…..I have the same sense of non judgmental support for my clients.  Part of what I love about my job is being part of people’s health and wellness journey no matter where they are in their bodies or their life.

Mindful movement can be so healing, energizing and life changing in so many ways.  Movement can help you from a physical and spiritual stand point when you are going through “stuff” ( you know… the stuff that happens to everyone at some time like injuries, illness, family problems, life problems, etc).

As an instructor I love showing people that you don’t have to be doing the hardest, most grueling exercise for it to be an effective tool in your life.  Learning to move safely in your body where you are at any given day is a gift that can change your life.  Learning to listen to your body and find movement that feels good and is effective can change your health and your happiness.

So I have to tell you some amazing things happened within just a week of this client starting Pilates again.  First of all the second time I saw her, she was moving amazingly better and was already feeling a difference in her body (and I could see the difference!).  By the second week it was a dramatic enough difference that she sent me this note:

WE received a compliment tonight!  My husband has been really busy the last couple of weeks. He has been going to work really early and coming home super late.   The first thing he said to me tonight when he arrived home was, “Wow, you are moving so much better since you started Pilates.”  Yeah for us!

(I love those type of notes by the way!) You might be wondering what kind of amazing exercises and sessions we did to get such great results?  Well, we had done three 25 minute sessions( which included some talk and discussion time) over 2 weeks.(Yep…that’s it!)  We did a lot of breathing, fundamental Pilates movements and some exercises using the Pilates equipment.  We started with the basics and did exercises that helped her body find a sense of ease of movement while working in a space she was comfortable.  Nothing crazy or out of the ordinary…but the difference it made in her body and her life was pretty amazing.

So if you’re feeling like you need or want to get back to your Pilates practice but maybe you have some similar thoughts going through your head about why you’re not coming back in……know that I would love nothing more than to help you get started again wherever you are in life and in your body!

P.S. If you’re reading this and I’m not your Pilates instructor I can tell you that your Pilates instructor feels the same way I do!